A Job Gone Awry
by Star Dragonmaiden
Summary: Vampire hunter Raven finds herself in an unexpected situation when she's knocked unconscious and wakes up in Midgar. No OC romance.
1. Chapter 1

A Job Gone Awry

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or its characters. Talk to Squaresoft (or whatever it is now) about that. Raven is a character of my own making.

8888

This was supposed to be a route job…Go in, kill the damn thing, collect my fee, and leave. Simple. I should have known something was fishy when my client wasn't at the rendezvous point. Hell, I should have known that this job was a crock of bullshit when my danger sense kicked in while I was taking it. Figures that the first time I ignore my instincts is the time that everything goes straight to the Ninth Layer of Hell…

…But then, you probably have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, do you? I don't quite understand what's happened myself, so bear with me. My name is Raven. No last name, just Raven. People sometimes call me 'Blood Raven' because of my occupation. What's my job? I'm a vampire hunter. That's right; I hunt down the filthy bloodsuckers and end their damned existence, usually in a very messy fashion. You see, the best way to kill a vampire is to cause an injury that makes the vampire lose a lot of blood at once, so I always take a sword with me. Slicing its head off or cleaving it through the stomach does the trick. A stake through the heart works too, IF you can get close enough. Holy water's effective; it doesn't kill them, but if you throw it in their eyes, they'll be blinded long enough for you to use something that WILL kill them.

But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. It all started normally, I had received phone call a few hours ago about a vampire terrorizing a small hamlet. Same old, same old. I agreed to meet the client and left my office, ignoring my danger sense. What do I mean by danger sense? Whenever I'm in danger, about to be ambushed or tricked, I get a persistent prickling feeling in the back of my neck. The more danger I'm in, the more intense the feeling gets. Anyway, by the time I reached the rendezvous point, my neck was killing me. NOT a good sign…My werewolf side of my mind yelped, and I started to unsheathe my sword when a blunt object struck me in the back of the head. The last thing I remember is laughter…

8888

"…all right?"

'_Huh?' whimper_

"…you all right?"

'Ugh…not so loud, my head's killing me…'

"Hey man, are you all right?" Raven opened her eyes with a soft groan and was puzzled to find herself facedown on the pavement. _'What the hell…? Did I go on another drinking binge?'_

"Can you stand?" Raven slowly pushed herself into a kneeling position and immediately regretted it when her head began to pound. _'Damn…I haven't felt this bad since I drank fifteen shots of vodka straight.'_ She gingerly touched the back of her head, wincing at the pain and making her inner wolf whimper again. She pulled back her hand to find blood on her fingertips.

"Easy there, it looks like you took a nasty blow to the head," a hand took a hold of Raven's arm and pulled her to her feet, "A potion will take care of that bump your head. You watch yourself, alright?" Raven was vaguely aware of footsteps moving away from her before she leaned against a nearby pole, pinching the bridge of her nose. _'Ugh…I'm so dizzy I can barely focus…'_ She looked around, squinting slightly. '_Where the hell am I?_'

"Oh my goodness!"

'_Now what. . .?_' Raven felt someone take hold of her arm.

"You shouldn't be walking around while in such a state! Let's get you inside and get a potion for that head injury," the owner of the voice, female from the sound of it, tugged on her arm, "Marlene, please grab this man's items."

"Okay, flower lady." The 'flower lady' steered Raven to a nearby bench and gently pushed her onto it. She pressed a small glass bottle into Raven's hand.

"Drink this; it'll heal your injury." Raven stared at the bottle and then at the woman. '_Hmm. . .My danger sense isn't kicking in, so I guess it's okay. . ._' She unstopped the bottle and downed it in one gulp. An icy sensation engulfed the back of her head for several seconds before receding, taking the pain with it. The young woman smiled brightly as Raven carefully reached back to touch her head.

"There. Feel better?" Raven stared dully at the woman before nodding slightly. The woman dusted off her skirt and sat down beside her, "I don't recognize you; are you new?" Raven glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Hn. That depends…where exactly is here?" The woman smiled and Raven's eye twitched slightly.

"You're in Midgar, specifically in Sector Five." Raven pinched the bridge of her nose.

"…And where, exactly, is THAT?" The woman now looked a little worried.

"You must have hit your head harder than I realized, if you can't remember Midgar…Well, your memory will return with time." Raven rose gruffly to her feet and glared down at the woman.

"My memory is perfectly FINE. I have a map of the world with me and there is no city called 'Midgar.'" Raven pulled a ragged old map out of a side pack on her belt and thrust it into the woman's hands. She unrolled it slowly and looked at it.

"Ah…? How can you understand this? I've never seen this language before…" Raven's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you mean…?"

"I mean that the words on the map make no sense." Raven took the map from her and pointed out various locations.

"This is Densric, a metropolitan city…This is Hilltop Manor, home of Sir Isaac DeFure…And this is…" Raven trailed off when she felt the back of her neck prickle and her werewolf side growled.

"We've got company…" she muttered, standing slowly. Just then, a man with long, black hair in a navy-blue suit and flanked by two others in police-like uniforms approached the women and child. The black-haired man glanced at Raven and the child, making the prickling in Raven's neck increase tenfold, before addressing the other woman.

"Aerith Gainsborough?" Aerith sighed and looked annoyed.

"What do you want, Tseng?" Raven watched the man carefully as he glanced at her again.

"President Shinra has asked that we escort you to the Main Building. Please…come along peacefully." Aerith jumped to her feet and glared at Tseng.

"No, I will not! When will you people ever quit?" Tseng shook his head with a sigh and snapped his fingers. The soldiers flanking him raised their machineguns. By now, the prickling had become a throbbing pain. Extreme danger.

"I figured you would refuse, so we're prepared to take you by force, if necessary." Raven stepped up and held her arm out in front of Aerith. A fight was inevitable anyway.

"You heard the lady…she doesn't want to go with you…or do you get your kicks harassing young girls?" Raven's hand moved slowly toward the hilt of her sword. Tseng stared calmly at her.

"Very witty…kill him." Raven's sword was drawn and ready before the soldiers could react. She wound up and sent the blade flying. The sword spun at the speed of a buzz saw and sliced neatly through the first soldier's neck before spinning back to Raven. She caught the silver hilt deftly with one hand and dropped back into a defensive position. The last soldier trained his gun on her, but he was shaking so badly that he couldn't aim correctly. Raven sprinted forward and thrust her sword and through the soldier's stomach. She turned it sideways and sliced out through his side. Just then, a shot rang out and Raven fell to one knee with a pained growl. She had been shot in the leg. Tseng walked in front her, a pistol pointed at her head.

"You're very quick, boy…so quick, in fact, that I had trouble reading your movements…but…are you quick enough to dodge a bullet shot from point-blank?" He smirked as Raven glared up at him and pressed the gun to her forehead, "Are you scared?" Raven's eyes narrowed and she spat at him.

"Do your worst. A Hunter fears nothing." Tseng's smirk left his face as he began to pull the trigger…

"STOP!" Aerith grabbed Tseng's arm, "Please…I'll go with you…just don't hurt him." Raven couldn't believe her eyes. She was certain that Aerith would have run away. Tseng stared at Aerith for a moment before lowering the gun.

"That's better…" He grabbed Aerith and started pulling her in the direction he came from. Aerith looked over her shoulder at Raven.

"Please! Take Marlene to my house! It's the large one with all the flowers!" With that, she disappeared around a corner. Raven continued staring toward where they had vanished before sitting heavily on the ground. She rolled her pant leg up carefully and inspected the wound. Just grazed it. She twitched slightly when she felt a small hand touch her shoulder. Raven turned to see a cute little girl staring up at her with large eyes.

"…Does it hurt?"

"Nah…it looks worse than it really is. I guess you're Marlene…?" The little girl nodded, "Okay, I guess we'll head to Aerith's house…" Raven stood slowly and limped in the direction Aerith had indicated, Marlene trotting obediently behind her.

8888

"…Now that's a lot of flowers…" This was true. A large section of cliff was covered in nothing but flowers of all colors. The house was very nice looking, considering the conditions of the general area. Raven limped up to the door and rapped lightly on it. A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman appeared at the door.

"…Can I help you?" Raven shifted slightly to take weight off her injured leg before answering.

"Is this Aerith Gainsborough's house?"

"…Why? You're not with Shinra, are you?" Raven frowned slightly. '_There's that name, again._' Raven shook her head and took Marlene's hand, gently pulling the child forward.

"No. She asked me to escort this little girl here…and…about Shinra…" she trailed off, trying to decide the best way to break the news. Marlene did it for her.

"The bad men took the Flower Lady away!"

"Err…yeah…pretty much. I'm…really sorry…" The woman sighed softly.

"It's alright…I knew this day would come…Would you like to come inside?" Raven shifted again.

"Sure, all this pollen is making my nose itch…but first…do you have any potions? I got shot in the leg when I got in a scrap with those Shinra ba…" She glanced at Marlene, "…bad men, and I don't want to drip blood all over your floor."

8888

Leg fully healed, Raven was relaxing in the spare bedroom that was given to her for the night. Elmyra, as she later found out, felt it was the least she could do since Raven had gotten injured while trying to protect Aerith. Even though Aerith had gone with Tseng willing, Raven thought that she should have done something.

'_Failure…I'm a complete and utter failure…Last time, it was Zack…_' Raven slammed her fist down on the bedside table with a growl as her inner wolf let out a mournful howl, "_NO! This is not the time to think of that…_' To take her mind off it, Raven took advantage of her privacy and unhooked the sheath from her belt. Something had felt off about it when she was fighting Tseng. She inspected the hilt carefully. Sure enough, she found two round grooves side-by-side with a line linking them. '_I wonder where these came from…_'

"Hey Mister!" Raven looked up as Marlene trotted up to her with something clutched in her little hand, "Look, look! Isn't it pretty?" Marlene opened her hand to reveal what looked like a green marble that glowed faintly. Raven took the marble from the child and rolled it around in her hand. The word 'RESTORE' was printed across its surface. She looked at the strange marble carefully and then looked at her sword. It looked about the right size…

"I wonder…" Raven picked up her sword and pressed the marble into one of the grooves in the hilt. It clicked perfectly into place, "Where did you get this?"

"Flower Lady's mama gave it to me to give to you, Mister." Raven sighed.

"Marlene…I may not look it, but I'm actually a girl, not a boy…wait…Flower Lad…isn't Aerith your mother?"

"Nope!"

"Then, why were you with her?"

"She said Tifa asked her to take me somewhere."

"Oh. Is Tifa your mother?"

"Nope!" Now, Raven was confused.

"Eh…? Then, where ARE your parents?"

"Papa's working!"

"Really."

"Yep! He works hard with Tifa and Cloud to stop the bad men!"

"I see…" Just then, there was a loud groaning sound and the ground began to shake. Then, there was a horrible creaking sound followed seconds later by a deafening crash and an eerie silence fell over the area.

"What was that…?" Just then, Elmyra rushed into the room, pale as a ghost.

"That…h-horrible noise…c-c-came from S-sector Seven…" At this, Marlene started crying. Raven knelt down beside her, her wolf side whimpering at the girl's tears.

"…What's wrong…?" Marlene sniffled and looked up at her with watery eyes.

"Papa and Tifa and Cloud were there!" She started crying again. Raven patted the child awkwardly on the head while the wolf paced back and forth in the back of her mind restlessly.

"Hey, I'll bet your papa and his friends are just fine. In fact, how about I go over and look?" She straightened and turned to Elmyra, "How do I get to Sector Seven?"

8888

"…How do I get myself into these situations…?" Raven muttered as she climbed precariously up a makeshift ramp. Her ears perked up when she heard voices a few yards away: two males and a female. Raven crept as close as she dared and crouched down, listening intently.

"You're going to help Aerith?" the girl asked. The man with spiky blond hair turned toward her.

"Yeah… But before that, there's something I want to know."

"What?"

"It's about the Ancients…" Raven's brow furrowed in thought. _Ancients…?_

"Yo! Who's out there?" Gunshots rang out, causing Raven to take cover behind a piece of broken-down machinery.

"Barret, wait!" The gunshots stopped, "Hey, are you all right?" Raven waited a few seconds before peering around her hiding place.

"Considering my recent track record, no, I'm not all right." Raven stepped out from behind the machine and gazed dully at the trio, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets. The woman and the blond-haired man she recognized; the burly man was new. He was a heavily-built man with what looked like a gatling gun where his hand should be. She guessed he was 'Barret.'

"Who are you? What are you doing out here?" Raven dusted off her pants before answering.

"Raven, and I'm here because I promised a little girl I'd look for her father and his friends…" The woman blinked and peered closely at Raven.

"'Little girl?'" Raven nodded, looking at her.

"Yeah, Marlene. Ya know her…?"

"Marlene!" Barret's hand shot forward and grabbed Raven by the collar.

"Where is she? Where's Marlene?" Raven calmly pushed Barret's hand away and brushed off her jacket.

"She's perfectly fine; don't blow an artery," She cracked her neck leisurely while Barret glared down at her, "She's with Elmyra." The blond-haired man looked up at the name.

"Elmyra? You mean Aerith's mother?"

"The same. I guess you met her?"

"Yeah…how am I going to break the news…?"

"…That Aerith was taken by Shinra? Don't worry about it; Marlene and I already took care of it." The younger man's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"…You saw it?" Raven sighed wearily.

"Yes, much to my displeasure. I managed to kill the two guards before getting gunned down by…what's-his-face…guy in a suit. Anyway, he was gonna shoot me when Aerith turned herself over…" She frowned grimly, the wolf within growling. Barret growled and punched a nearby piece of machinery, leaving a dent.

"Tseng…that fuckin' bastard…!"

"I don't know…I'd recognize him if I saw him again."

"Hmm…Regardless, maybe Elmyra knows why they wanted Aerith…" He paused and looked almost hopefully at Raven. She knew exactly what he was asking.

"Sorry, he didn't say anything. Must be important, though…." The man frowned and turned toward the others.

"Let's go see Elmyra, maybe she'll explain." He nodded to Raven as he walked passed her. She paused for a moment before turning toward the retreating party.

"Hold up." They turned back to her. "Care to hire a Hunter? I feel responsible for this…" They looked at each other. Barret looked at her suspiciously.

"What's yer fee?"

"Merely the essentials; food, lodging, the means for weapon maintenance…you know. Is this agreeable?" Barret blinked, a little surprised, and looked at the long-haired woman before turning back to Raven.

"…That's all?"

"That's all. I have little use for actual money." Barret turned back to his companions and they started talking amongst themselves. Raven's lycanthropic hearing managed to pick up snippets of their conversation.

"What do ya think…?"

"We could use the extra help…"

"But we don't know a thing about him…"

"He must be a decent person if he tried to protect Aerith and Marlene from Shinra…" Raven rolled her eyes. Yet another bunch who thought she was a man. The wolf made an indignant sound. The blond-haired man walked toward her.

"…What skills would you bring to the group?" Raven crossed her arms in front of her and shifted into a more relaxed position.

"…Sword and firearm mastery, proficiency in hand-to-hand, heightened reflexes and senses, and a sixth sense."

"A sixth sense?"

"Correct. I have the ability to sense danger and falsehood." The wolf preened proudly, making Raven roll her eyes mentally. The blond looked over his shoulder at Barret and the woman, who nodded, and looked back at Raven, holding out his hand.

"All right, we accept your offer…uh…" Raven reached up slowly and grasped his hand grimly.

"Raven. My name is Raven."

"Well, Raven, my name is Cloud, and this," he motioned to the woman, "is Tifa. The one that shot at you is Barret." Raven tilted her head politely. Tifa walked up beside Cloud, looking concerned.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Raven waved a gloved hand dismissively.

"Like I said, I've been better…but I've also been a lot worse, so it pretty much evens out."

"Eh?" Raven looked off to one side, ignoring Tifa's questioning look.

"…Stories for another time. We have more important things to worry about, like rescuing Aerith." Cloud nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Let's go." He turned to walk toward Sector Five and stopped short, staring in front of him apprehensively. Raven followed his line of sight to…

"…Is that a…house?" Raven glanced at her new employers to find them readying their weapons. She looked back and forth between the house and the trio for a few seconds.

"…You're joking. You're going to fight… a house." Tifa glanced at her.

"You must not be from around here, Raven, if you can't recognize a Hell House."

"Eh, I wouldn't be so sure. I've been in a lot of houses."

"LOOK OUT!" Raven had the wind knocked out of her as she was tackled to the ground. An explosion rocked the ground half a second later. Raven's eyes opened to find glowing blue eyes staring back at her. The wolf growled.

"'Heightened reflexes,' huh? You nearly got Hell Bombered." Raven grunted in response and shoved him off her.

"Shut up, smartass." Raven rolled to her feet and drew her sword. The house…definitely didn't look like a house anymore. It had sprouted legs and looked decidedly unfriendly.

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Raven muttered, scanning the "house" for weaknesses. Meanwhile, Barret opened fire with his gatling gun while Tifa and Cloud appeared to be in deep concentration. Suddenly, a green glow flashed from Tifa's glove and she thrust her hands forward, bathing the 'Hell House' in flame. Raven raised an eyebrow. _Strange…_The same thing happened with Cloud, except this time there was lightning. Raven pondered over this recent revelation before spotting it; a green marble, similar to her own, near the hilt of Cloud's gigantic sword. _Interesting…I wonder…_She looked up when she heard Tifa cry out. The Hell House had gotten in a blow and left a deep laceration in Tifa's arm. Cursing under her breath, Raven stared down at the green orb in her sword. _Restore…to fix or repair…to mend…mend…heal, perhaps?_ As soon as the thought entered her mind, the word "RESTORE" faded from the surface of the ball as another word swirled into existence: CURE.

"Of course…" Raven frowned in concentration, imagining the wound on Tifa's arm closing. Sure enough, an energy force started building in her right hand as the marble flashed green, and Raven quickly pointed her palm toward the injured girl. Her arm was surrounded by a shimmering green light and the wound closed slowly, leaving a faint scar. She turned her attention back to the Hell House just as it swung one of its new arms at her. Raven side-stepped it and brought her sword down, slicing its hand off. The monster shrieked in pain and fired off what looked like a mini-nuclear bomb.

"Hell Bomber! Everyone move!" Cloud shouted before diving for cover. Barret followed suit while Tifa grabbed Raven's arm and pulled her behind a crane. The area shook from the following explosion. Raven peeked around the crane to find Barret and Cloud back in the fray. Raven grit her teeth, agitated.

"Dammit…this is taking too long…we can't waste anymore time…" Tifa looked at her, troubled.

"What do you propose…?" Raven shook her head, even more frustrated.

"I don't know…we need some way to take it out in one shot…" She looked up at the crane, "…I wonder if this thing's still operational…"

"What?" Raven pulled herself into the driver's seat and looked the console over.

"Keys still in the ignition…that's convenient. Now to see if it'll start…" She turned the key. The engine sputtered several times before turning over. Raven half-smirked as she acquainted herself with the crane's controls. Tifa climbed in beside her as Raven lowered the large crane hook so that it was level with the Hell House's roof.

"What are you going to do, Raven?"

"We don't have time to mess with this thing…so it's time to get a little…creative." Ignoring Tifa's puzzled look, Raven swung the hook back and forth, jamming the hook under the House's roof. Tifa's eyes lit up in realization.

"Of course! It can't attack properly while dangling in the air!" Raven nodded as she reeled the hook in, the Hell House flailing its arms as it was lifted off the ground.

"Exactly. Now then…" She threw the crane in gear and it rolled forward, the wheels grinding and screeching in protest.

"Now, what are you doing?"

"See that cliff up ahead?" Raven was vaguely aware of Cloud shouting something, but his voice was overwhelmed by the engine noise.

"Yeah…"

"I'm going to lock the steering and let this crane roll right over the edge…" Tifa quickly caught on to the plan.

"…Taking the Hell House with it! Good thinking, Raven!" Raven pulled some wire out of the seat and used it to tie the steering wheel in place.

"That should do it; time to bail out." Raven and Tifa jumped from the cockpit seconds before the crane carried the screeching Hell House over the side with a loud crash. Cloud and Barret ran up behind them. Barret let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Shorty…I never woulda thought of that…" Raven's eye twitched slightly.

''_Shorty…?'_' Before Raven could question the nickname, Cloud was talking.

"…Reckless, and you could have gotten Tifa killed, Raven!" Raven gave him a flat look.

"…Thank you for showing so much concern for 'our' safety…Spike. Tell me, did you stick your sword in a power conduit, or does your hair naturally look like that?" Barret barked a laugh and slapped Raven heartily on the back, making her stumble slightly while her inner wolf yelped in surprise.

"HA! I like ya already, Shorty!" Barret gave Cloud a pointed look, "That kinda clever thinkin' is just what AVALANCHE needs." Raven shrugged carelessly.

"Opportunities abound if you know where to lo-" Raven stopped short when Tifa leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Raven gave her an odd look while Barret laughed and Cloud looked on in stunned silence. Tifa smiled shyly.

"That was for getting rid of the monster…and this…" She moved in as if to kiss Raven on the lips, but seemed to think better of it, kissing her on the cheek instead, "…is for healing my injury." She blushed and moved away, coughing awkwardly. Raven watched her for a few seconds before clearing her throat and straightening her jacket.

"*Ahem* Now then…I believe we need to rescue someone…" Cloud snapped out of his state.

"Right. Let's go." Cloud stepped quickly through the hole in the wall, followed by a still laughing Barret, a blushing Tifa, and a very troubled lycan.

'_This…has gotten VERY complicated…_'

8888

Now, before I get people asking about this, this is NOT Tifa/Raven. Everyone is ASSUMING that Raven is a boy. Yes, Raven is a werewolf. Yes, she will transform during the full moon. No, this will not be Red XIII/werewolf!Raven. That's wrong on several levels _;; . There are no plans in the future for Raven to hook up with ANY of the FFVII characters.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

8888

"Here it is." The motley crew stopped in front of Aerith's house. Cloud hesitated.

"Do you think she'll know why Shinra took Aerith? Raven placed her hand the doorknob and paused.

"Probably. When I told her what happened, Elmyra said she 'knew this day would come.' Sounds like a good indication to me." She pushed the door open and went inside, the others following behind her.

"Elmyra? I'm back from Sector 7 and I brought some people with me." Elmyra walked down the stairs, stopping at the base and looking at the group.

"You're…Cloud, right? You're here about Aerith, aren't you?" Cloud nodded, stepping up beside Raven.

"Raven said that you knew Shinra was after her…" Elmyra walked toward the table and sat down with a sigh.

"Yes…it's not the first time they've come after her…" Cloud sat down across from her and Tifa moved to stand beside Raven. She tugged on Raven's sleeve and whispered in her ear.

"This will probably take awhile…how about we go buy some supplies for our raid on the Shinra building?" Raven gave her a curt nod and started following her out when Barret grasped her shoulder.

"Hey, Shorty…Ya said Marlene was here…"

"She was upstairs when I left to find you, so…" Elmyra looked up at this.

"Marlene's taking a nap upstairs…You're her father, I take it?" Raven nudged Tifa gently.

"Let's go. I've seen enough drama in my life to last me a while." Tifa nodded and they left the building. The two women walked in silence toward the shop. Tifa cleared her throat.

"Raven…?" Raven glanced up at her.

"Hmm?"

"Um…how did you and Aerith meet?"

"She found me several hours ago when I was…'disoriented.'"

"'Disoriented?'"

"I had suffered moderate blunt-force trauma to my head. She gave me a potion."

"Were you mugged?"

"No…at least, I don't think so. I still have all my equipment and money."

"Strange…"

"That's the understatement of the millennia. This whole DAY has been strange." Tifa blinked, puzzled.

"How so?"

"It's not often you fight a HOUSE."

"Ah…"

"While we have items that supplement the body's natural regenerative abilities where I'm from, to find a simple liquid that closes a wound almost instantly…that's amazing…and unnerving."

"Unnerving?"

"In the wrong hands…it could turn the tide of a war…"

"That's a little extreme."

"Maybe…but I've learned to expect the worst case. Another thing that confuses me is this." Raven tapped the orb in her sword.

"Materia? What don't you understand?"

"Pretty much everything, so let's start with the basics. What IS Materia?"

"It's condensed Mako that let's us use magic. For someone that doesn't understand it, you sure knew how to use the 'RESTORE' in the last battle."

"It seemed to react to my thoughts, so I just went with it. What's Mako?"

"The Planet's lifeblood. Shinra is draining the Planet of Mako, and slowly killing it in the process. AVALANCHE is trying to prevent that."

"Lifeblood, huh? The more I hear, the more surreal the situation becomes…Barret mentioned AVALANCHE before…I take it that's you three."

"Yep, and you're one of us, now."

"Of course."

"You said you felt responsible for Aerith. What did you mean?"

"The guy in the suit, I think Aerith said his name was Tseng, came with two soldiers. He wanted Aerith to go with him quietly. She refused." Tifa nodded slowly.

"I think I see where this is going…"

"As you can guess, Tseng didn't like that answer and was prepared to take her by force. That's when I stepped in and challenged him."

"You challenged the leader of the Turks?"

"The what?"

"The Turks are President Shinra's bodyguards and thugs! I'm surprised you got out unscathed!" Raven stopped walking and stared up at Tifa for a moment.

"…When did I say that I wasn't injured?"

"What?"

"I managed to take out the soldiers before getting taken down by Tseng. I was so focused on the soldiers with their machine guns that I didn't realize he was armed, a foolish mistake on my part. He shot me in the leg. He was going to shoot me in the head when Aerith surrendered to him."

"…It wasn't your fault, Raven. That's how Aerith is."

"Doesn't change the fact the she's in Shinra's hands because of me. She probably wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place if she hadn't stopped to help me," Raven looked up at the grimy-looking sign on a building, "Is this the place?"

"Yeah, we'll need Potions…Tents…Phoenix Downs…" Tifa murmured, walking into the shop. Raven stared after her.

"Phoenix…Downs? Surreal." She walked inside.

8888

"Okay…now, what do these Materia do?" Tifa smiled in a good-natured way.

"This green one is a 'FIRE' Materia, like mine. This yellow one is a 'SENSE' Materia which tells you more about an enemy, and this blue one is an 'ALL' Materia. The 'ALL' Materia amplifies a magic Materia so you can use it on a group instead of on a single person. You can damage all the enemies with fire or you can heal all of us and yourself. Just place the 'ALL' Materia and a magic Materia in a set of linked sockets."

"'Linked?'" Tifa giggled and tapped the hilt of Raven's sword.

"Your sword has linked sockets."

"Ah…so that's what that line is for…" Raven pressed the Materia into the remaining socket. The 'RESTORE' and 'ALL' glowed for a second and faded. "That's it?"

"That's it. You can put 'FIRE' and 'SENSE' in your Titan Bangle." The green and yellow orbs clicked into place. "Okay, just a quick check of our supplies to make sure we have everything…"

"Good idea. We need to be prepared for anything." Raven shrugged the satchel off her shoulder and peered inside.

"Potions?"

"Got them."

"Tents?"

"Not sure what good they'll do us inside a building, but yes."

"Phoenix Downs?"

"Got them. What do those DO, anyway?"

"Phoenix Downs? They revive you quickly if you're knocked unconscious. However, if you lose consciousness due to blood loss, you need to drink a Potion or you'll lose consciousness again."

"Handy."

"Yep! Let's see…Grenades?"

"A dozen of them. This ought to cause some property damage."

"We can only hope. I think that's everything. You already have your new Materia, so I think we can head back." They left the plaza and walked toward the house. Barret's voice could be heard through the door. Barret seemed to be having some trouble explaining himself to Elmyra. Tifa slipped in beside Raven and watched the scene unfold.

"…please don't start with that. I think about it all the time. What would happen to Marlene, if I… But you gotta understand somethin'…I don't got an answer. I wanna be with Marlene… But I gotta fight. 'Cause if I don't…the planet's gonna die. So I'm gonna keep fightin'! But, I'm worried 'bout Marlene. I really just wanna be with her…always. See? I'm goin' in circles, now." Raven cleared her throat.

"…I think I understand what you're trying to say…Parents want what's best for their children and do what they can to provide that. You want Marlene to grow up in a safe environment, and you fight Shinra to make the world safer for her and everyone else by association…am I right?"

"Yeah…that's what I'm gettin' at…thanks, Shorty…" Elmyra nodded kindly.

"I understand perfectly. Marlene is upstairs; go see her."

"Thank you…" With that, Barret charged upstairs. Seconds later, a muffled 'Daddy!' was heard, and Raven smiled a very small smile.

"Elmyra, why did Shinra take Aerith?" Raven looked over her shoulder.

"Aerith is an Ancient, probably the last one in existence. Shinra thinks that Aerith can lead them to a land of happiness. Apparently, Aerith can communicate with the Planet."

"…Talk with the planet, huh?"

"Mister!" Raven looked toward the stairs just as Marlene came barreling down them and latched on to her waist. "You kept your promise! You kept your promise!" Barret was standing on the stairs, grinning fondly, as Raven pat Marlene on the head.

"…Of course, I always keep my promises." Marlene released Raven and smiled up at her cutely.

"Papa says you're gonna help rescue the Flower Lady."

"That's right." Marlene held up her little pinky.

"Promise?" Raven smiled slightly and linked her pinky with Marlene's.

"Promise."

8888

"So…where IS the Shinra building, anyway?"

"On top of the Plate."

"So…up there, then?" Raven pointed toward the muddy sky. '_So THAT'S why it's always so dark…_'

"Yep." Raven sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"And…HOW are we getting there, exactly?" Cloud hesitated.

"We…haven't figured that out, yet…" Raven sighed again.

"Well…since the part over Sector Seven fell, maybe we can get to the top from there. Let's check around that area."

"We can stop at Wall Market while we're there and get more supplies." Raven shrugged.

"Works for me." The walk to Sector Seven was fairly uneventfully, with a few encounters with strange creatures that were legs and mostly teeth called Whole Eaters. When they reached the playground area, Raven looked at the wreckage and whistled slowly.

"Wow…they don't mess around…" Tifa sighed sadly.

"All those people…just to get AVALANCHE…" The group stood for a moment in silence. Raven cleared her throat.

"We do the people of Sector Seven a disservice by lingering here. Let us set their souls at peace by taking down Shinra."

"You're right, Raven…but…there doesn't seem to be a way to get to the hole in the Plate from here."

"No…not from HERE…but…" Raven looked toward an area that was bustling with activity, "Maybe over there…" The others looked in the same direction as her.

"…In Wall Market? What makes you think so?" Raven pointed toward a hole in the Plate above Wall Market where sunshine was spilling in. Raven, however, could see mangled wires and cables hanging down.

"You see the hole there? We can go through there." Cloud frowned, looking at her skeptically.

"But how…? We can't reach it." Raven glanced at him, lips pursed in puzzlement.

"…You don't see the cables…?"

"What cables?" Realization hit Raven in an instant, and she slapped her gloved palm to her head. '_I can't believe I forgot about human eye-sight…_'

"Argh…sorry…I've worked alone for so long that I sometimes forget that most people…can't see as far as I do…" Tifa's eyebrows went up at that remark.

"What do you mean 'see as far as I do'?"

"I've got really sharp eye-sight and can see objects far away before most other people can…a useful trait in my line of work."

"Ya said ya were a 'hunter', right?" Raven glanced at Barret, nodding.

"Correct."

"S'that like a bounty hunter, or sumthin'?" Raven shrugged.

"Sort of, but not quite." Barret grunted.

"Now, yer not makin' sense, Shorty." She sighed as she turned fully toward Barret.

"…The short edition is that I DO get paid to hunt down targets, but I'm a little more…specialized…than a bounty hunter. The long edition…" She turned back toward the path to Wall Market, "…we don't have time for." Cloud nodded, stepping up beside Raven.

"You're right. Let's go; the longer we take, the more time Shinra has to do something to Aerith."

8888

"Psst…You goin' up to the plate? You better have a Battery." The group was stopped by a rather shifty looking merchant. Raven frowned in distrust as Cloud spoke with him.

"You're gonna sell me something you just found?" The man hesitated before continuing.

"Hey, you knew? But I repaired it, so it's all right…" Cloud frowned.

"Why do I need a battery to climb up to the plate?" The merchant snickered, certain that he had made a sale.

"You'll find out when you get there…" He trailed off when Raven stepped up beside Cloud and gave him a withering stare.

"…You took those Batteries from vital spots along a path to the Upper Plate near here, didn't you?" She said flatly, and the man blanched.

"W-wha…how…?" Raven snorted derisively.

"Please. You couldn't be more obvious unless you wrote a confession on your forehead." The man was visibly sweating by now.

"Ahh…"

"….."

"Er…."

"…" The man snapped and shoved the Batteries into Raven's hands.

"Here! Take them all! Just stop GLARING at me!"

"…Hmph." Raven placed the Batteries into her satchel and walked away, the others hurrying to follow.

"Not bad, Shorty…how'd ya know?" Raven glanced at Barret.

"…Merchants are all the same. Anything to make a sale…even inconveniencing the target buyer into having no choice BUT to pay whatever price." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "I wasn't expecting him to cave like that, though…"

"Well…I'm not complaining. I wonder what we'll need them for…" Raven shrugged.

"Like he said, 'You'll find out when you get there…'"

"Over here! It's this way!"

"Wait for me!" Raven's ears perked slightly and she looked toward the shouts.

"Who was that?" Raven closed her eyes and listened.

"…Children…two…no, THREE of them…two boys…and a girl, I believe." She turned toward everyone else to find them staring at her in shock. Tifa spoke first.

"How…"

"When I said 'heightened senses', I was also talking about hearing."

"Any other 'heightened senses'?" Raven tilted her head back slightly and sniffed.

"…Someone's frying something…beef, I think." The others sniffed the air.

"…I don't smell a damn thing…"

"Me neither…"

"Me nei-…oh. This is also what you meant, right?"

"Correct."

"So, where they headin'?" Raven pointed toward a wall that was rising above the building. A small figure could be seen moving up the wall toward a hole in the Plate.

"I think we found our way up."

8888

"We're supposed to climb…that?" Cloud was justifiably skeptical; 'that' was merely a long cable dangling from the hole. Tifa looked at the small child standing beside them.

"Can we climb it?" The child smiled, nodding.

"Yeah. It leads to the Upper World." Barret trudged up to the cable and grabbed hold of it.

"Awright! We'll climb this wire!" Cloud looked shocked while Raven and Tifa nodded and moved to join him.

"There's no way we can do this. You know how far it goes up?" Raven stopped and looked at Cloud, a sardonic smile spreading across her face.

"…Really now, Spike…we have witnessed for ourselves that several small children have scaled this wire…Surely, YOU can perform such a task if a child can…?" Barret was trying not to laugh while Tifa looked torn between amusement and shock and Cloud looked stunned.

"Raven…isn't that a little harsh…?" Raven looked over her shoulder, the smile having already vanished from her face.

"…You don't agree with my assessment? It doesn't matter…climbing is the only option available to us. There is no time to search for an alternative…"

"Shorty's right! Look! What's that look like?" he shouted, pointing at the cable. Cloud looked at Barret, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"Just a normal wire." Barret gave him a smug grin.

"Oh yeah? Well, to me, it looks like a golden shiny wire of hope." Cloud shook his head and was about to respond when Tifa beat him to it.

"Barret and Raven are right; this wire is our only chance." Cloud frowned, but Raven nodded curtly.

"…An…interesting…choice of words, but I see what you mean." Cloud sighed in defeat.

"Ok, that was a bad analogy, but, I understand how all of you feel. Let's go! The lighter people should go first. Raven, Tifa, that's you guys."

"Okay…Raven, you're smaller, so you should be the lightest. You go first."

8888

This was rather fun to write. I honestly didn't know where I would go with this story, but it's pretty much writing itself. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Is Raven meshing well with the main characters? Are the main characters in…well…character? I think it's flowing well, but it's nice to hear other opinions.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

8888

"…So, this is the Shinra Headquarters, huh…? Hmmm…" Raven murmured, leaning back as she gazed up the side of the building, "How…excessive…" Barret grunted.

"Yeah…them Shinra fools built this with taxpayer money…#$!ing bastards!" Barret paused and looked at Cloud, "Hey, you oughta know this building well." Cloud shook his head.

"…Not really, now that I think about it, this is the first time I've ever been to the Headquarters." Barret grunted, glaring up at the building.

"I heard about this place before. Every floor above the 60th is special and not easy to get to, even for employees. Must be where they took Aerith." Raven closed her eyes, nodding brusquely. It was highly likely.

"…You're most likely correct. Now…how to approach this…?"

"'How' nothin'! The security's pretty light now. Let's bust down the door! Awright, let's go!" Barret held his gun-arm ready and moved toward the front door. Tifa grabbed a hold of his other arm.

"Wait a second! You're not thinking of just going right through the main entrance, are you?" Barret gave her an incredulous look.

"Well, what else does it look like! I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt and…"

"That's not going to work! We've got to find another way…"

"Ain't gonna be no other way! If we keep wastin' time like this, Aerith'll…" Tifa sighed, shaking her head.

"I know that! But if we get caught here…" She turned to Cloud and Raven, "Hey, Cloud…Raven…What should we do?" Cloud and Raven answered in unison.

"Sneak in."

"Go in the front." They both paused and looked at each other, glowing aquamarine eyes meeting frosty amethyst.

"Barret's right. If we don't hurry…" Raven cut Cloud off sharply.

"Or what? Think about it from a logical stand point. They won't harm Aerith; she's too valuable to them. However, if we create a scene down here, that's more guards we'll have to cut a path through to get to Aerith and that's not counting the extra security you KNOW they'll put up after we rescue her. Then, there's our escape. On top of all that, we don't even know where they're keeping her. They may even move her if alerted to our presence." Raven turned smartly on her heel, "…Do what you wish, but I intend to sneak in quietly." That said, she started walking toward the right side of the building, not looking back once.

8888

"Hmph. C'mon! We don't need Shorty! #$!ing mercenaries…" Barret stomped toward the door, Cloud following at first but stopping when Tifa didn't follow.

"Tifa…?" Tifa looked toward Raven's quickly shrinking form.

"Raven…he made some very good points…" Barret snorted derisively.

"The fool's bein' an overcautious jackass! Those bastards could be doin' anthin' to Aerith! His idea takes too long!" Cloud nodded in agreement.

"Barret's right; we need to be practical about this…" Tifa lost it at that point.

"Rushing in without a plan is practical? Raven IS being practical! He wants to keep everyone out of danger! He…" Cloud interrupted her rant calmly.

"Is an unknown." Tifa paused at this.

"…What?" Cloud ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"Tifa…we don't know him. We don't know if he can be trusted…Don't you think it was a little too convenient that he showed up when we were discussing Aerith, just happening to know what happened to her?" Tifa shook her head quickly.

"He said he promised Marlene he'd look for Barret! Marlene even confirmed it!"

"It could have been a convenient excuse…He could be trying to lead us into a trap right now. There could be guards waiting for us in Raven's route."

"You don't know that! Raven is…!"

"Are you saying that you know him, Tifa?"

"…No, I don't…but I actually spoke to him, and I DO know that he is genuinely worried about Aerith!" Tifa turned her back on Cloud, "Do what you want…I trust Raven and I'm going with his plan." Without waiting for a reply, Tifa sprinted after Raven who was currently kneeling in front of what appeared to be a fire escape door, fiddling with the knob. She huffed in annoyance when she stopped behind Raven as he picked the lock. A tense silence fell over them until…

"…You didn't have to defend my integrity." Tifa jerked and stared at Raven with wide eyes. Raven's hands had stopped moving and he was looking at her over his shoulder. Tifa smiled softly.

"Heightened hearing...I'd forgotten. I couldn't let him say things like that about you…I know you can be trusted." Raven stared at her for a moment longer before turning back to the door.

"…It doesn't matter to me whether people trust me or not…"

"All the same…I trust you, Raven." Raven answered without missing a beat.

"…Their caution is not unfounded." Tifa blinked.

"What?" He stopped picking the lock again and turned toward her fully.

"I haven't exactly been a team player." Tifa shook her head quickly.

"You killed that Hell House; you stood against Tseng of the Turks to help complete strangers…"

"I owed Aerith for helping me; I still do." Tifa continued, undeterred.

"You saw to Marlene's safety despite your injuries; you came looking for us when Marlene was upset; you offered to help find a way to rescue Aerith; you found the way to the Headquarters! You didn't have to do any of that! You're trying to be modest but really, you've been a great help!"

"….." Tifa couldn't help but wish that Raven's face would give SOME indication of his thoughts. That blank stare was a little unnerving on such a young-looking face.

"Cloud's wrong…you CAN be trusted…" She reiterated firmly. He stared hard at her before nodding curtly.

"….Thank you…" Tifa smiled merrily as Raven renewed his efforts to open the door. He was a little prickly and spoke with a blunt honesty that bordered on condescending at times, but she knew he was kind at heart. However…she gave him a sidelong glance. He seemed so jaded for someone his age. How old was he…?

'_He couldn't be older than a teenager…if that…_' She jumped when the sound of gunfire came from the entrance.

"I don't believe this…they're going to do it?" Raven growled softly.

"Dammit…hmm. This might actually work in our favor." Tifa gave Raven a curious look.

"What do you mean? How's the door coming?" Raven straightened up, brushing off the front of his pants.

"Couldn't pick it. Ferguson was always better at lock-picking. Anyway, Shinra is going to be distracted with those two…There's a good chance they're not expecting someone to sneak up the fire escape. Of course, there WILL still be increased security..."

"Good point, but we still need to get the door open." He tilted his head slightly. '_If he wasn't so emotionless all the time, he'd look rather cute doing that…_' Tifa batted the thought away and focused on what Raven was saying.

"As I said, Shinra's distracted. We can safely bust the door down." Tifa smiled confidently.

"On it." Raven stepped aside as Tifa charged the door and slammed the heel of her boot against it, denting the door severely. Two more kicks had the door hanging half off its hinges. Raven nodded with a raised eyebrow. Tifa smiled as she motioned toward the door.

"Shall we?"

8888

'_Hnn...Not the fastest way to get to the top, but it works...I hope my hunch is right and most of the guards are busy with those two hotheads..._' Raven thought, scaling the stairs with fast, light steps. Her breathing was slow and steady, controlling the amount of energy she used. It wouldn't do for her to find Aerith, but be too tired to protect her. From the labored breathing further behind her, Tifa hadn't quite mastered this technique for over long distances. Raven slowed to a stop at a landing between staircases and waited. Tifa stumbled onto the small platform, bent forward and gasping for air.

"...You all right?" Tifa nodded, still panting.

"Y-yeah...you...run fast..."

"...Sorry." Tifa smiled brightly up at her and laughed breathlessly.

"Don't apologize! You're worried about Aerith! You ARE a good person; I don't care what the others say!" Raven's frown deepened. She wasn't used to such ready acceptance from a human; they usually hated her kind for not taking a side in the war. Tifa gave her a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" Raven blinked and shook her head slowly.

"…Nothing. Let's go." Tifa looked skeptical, but nodded.

"How much farther?" Raven leaned over the railing and looked up. The ceiling was a few stories above.

"Not far. Maybe about ten minutes if we walk fast instead of run." Tifa breathed what was clearly a sigh a relief. The corner of Raven's mouth twitched slightly.

"Sounds good. Let's go. I hope the boys are okay." Tifa fell into step by Raven as they continued up the fire escape.

8888

"Excuse me! If you don't have an appointment, you'll just have to…EEK!" The receptionist dove under the counter as Barret fired a few rounds from his gun arm.

"Don't need no appointment… This is a 'mergency'! Anyone who don't wanna get their face bashed in better git outta the way!" He fired several times into the air as various secretaries and receptionists ran for cover. A guard ran toward them, blowing a whistle and shouting.

"Intruders! Seize them!" Several more guards join him, armed with machineguns and hand grenades. Cloud and Barret made short work of them with lightning and gunshots.

"Let's go to the top!" Barret shouted, running toward the elevator. They climbed in, and Cloud pressed the button for the 59th floor. He leaned against the wall, frowning. Going through the front had caused a lot of unwanted noise. The guard had probably warned the upper level security if the receptionists haven't already.

"Maybe we should have gone with Raven and Tifa…" he muttered. While he was willing to admit that Raven may have been right about sneaking in, he was more worried about Tifa being alone with the enigmatic boy.

"No sense in worryin'…#%*ing jackass better protect Tifa, though," Barret grunted, annoyed that the mercenary that Marlene was so fond of turned out to be another cynic like Cloud had been.

"Hmm…he's strange. He looks like a kid…but fights like a veteran. Someone like him can be very dangerous…" Barret barked a laugh.

"You scared a' Shorty? Yea, he's pretty tough, but I'll fill'im with lead if he tries somethin'." Barret shook his gun arm for emphasis. The elevator suddenly jerked to a stop, nearly throwing the men off balance. Cloud squinted up at the floor counter. They hadn't reached the 59th floor, yet, so why did they stop? An alarm started blaring and the elevator started pummeling. Cloud and Barret held on to the railing for dear life.

"What's happening? Is it a security system?" Cloud yelled over the siren.

"I dunno, but make it stop, Spike!" Cloud reached for the emergency button when the elevator stopped short, throwing them to the ground. There was a low clanging sound, and the elevator rocketed upward, the counter a blur of red. After what felt like hours in the crushing force, the elevator slammed to a halt and the door flew open. Guards swarmed into the cramped space, leveling their rifles on the prone men.

"Freeze! Don't move, AVALANCHE scum!"

"Only two? How did they survive Sector Seven?"

"That's Barret, the AVALANCHE leader! This'll get us promoted for sure!"

"No kidding? All ri-gauck!" The guard's words were cut short when a sharp blade shot through his chest before twisting and ripping back out. He fell, gurgling on his own blood, and the other guards stared in shock at their fellow's assassin. Raven stood poised at the doorway, bloody sword in hand and looking very menacing despite his short stature. Just over his head, Cloud could see Tifa cracking her knuckles.

"Wha…what the hell's a kid doing here?"

"Oh god…did you see what he did to Larry?"

"Who cares? That woman behind him is from AVALANCHE, too! He's probably a hired mercenary."

"Maybe…hey kid! Whatever AVALANCHE is paying you, I'm sure President Shinra could double; hell, TRIPLE it if you help us capture them." Cloud, who had pushed himself into a kneeling position as this went on, watched Raven carefully to see if his suspicions would be true. The silent boy stared at the guard for several seconds, his sword lowering slightly.

"Tempting …VERY tempting…" Cloud clenched his teeth in anger as Tifa stared at the smaller boy in stunned silence. He had warned her that the strange teenager couldn't be trusted. Then, something unexpected happened.

"Many would jump at such a chance…however…" If he had blinked, he would have missed it. Raven swung the sword up in an arch at his eye level, effectively ripping open the guard's chest. He stepped back to avoid the blood spray as he stared down at the gasping sentry, eyes hard as ice.

"…My morals are NOT for sale…and I keep my promises," He planted his boot into the sentry's mangled chest and pushed him backwards, "…ALWAYS."

8888

Cloud rifled through the dead guards' pockets. One of them HAD to have a keycard. He glanced over his shoulder. Barret and Raven were leaning against a nearby wall with their arms crossed while Tifa was fussing over Raven's shoulder. During the scuffle with the last two guards, one managed to get off a lucky shot that grazed Raven's shoulder. Maybe he WAS wrong; the boy had proven trustworthy so far. Still, it could be that he was trying to put them off their guard. Best to keep an eye on him for now. His thoughts must have shown on his face because Raven was now giving Cloud a deadpan look.

"…." Tifa huffed and met Cloud's look with a scathing one of her own.

"Cloud, why are you still being so hostile towards him? Raven's already-" Raven's voice cut her off abruptly.

"Tifa." Tifa looked at him in surprise.

"But…" He shook his head sharply.

"Leave it. It's not important," Raven pushed away from the wall and brushed pass her, "What IS important is that security is going to be a hell of a lot tighter, now. If we get captured, we'll have forfeited our chance…and possibly, our lives." Raven was pacing back and forth as he spoke, hands clasped behind his back. He paused, his brow creased in thought.

"What do you suggest, Raven?" Cloud asked as he straightened up, the keycard in hand. He may not fully trust the boy, but Raven DID seem to know a lot about infiltration.

"…Disguises."

8888

Phew! This one took a while! I hope people enjoy reading this, and that the view changes aren't too confusing. About the disguises at the end, this was something that always bothered me in the game. How is it that the team was able to explore the Headquarters with Barret, the *LEADER* of AVALANCHE, virtually unopposed; especially if you decided to charge through the front door? Moving in disguise makes more sense. Chapter four is probably going to be my favorite to write ^_^.

EDIT: Argh! Sorry about the screwy formatting. I just found out that the site was eating my p.o.v. breaks. I hope this is easier to understand.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Star Dragonmaiden

8888

A/N: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter. It actually wrote itself very quickly, but my laptop as been suffering hard drive failures since September. Best Buy has just sent it out for repair a second time. I'm so glad that I have an extended warranty on that thing. I'd hate to think how much all this would cost otherwise. I'm typing this during break periods at work.

8888

Raven adjusted the tie around her neck, alternating between tightening and loosening it. She had doubts about the success of this plan, even though she was the one to suggest it. The idea was sound; go in undercover while the guards search for two intruders. The others, except maybe Barret, should be perfectly safe with their disguises. She certainly wouldn't be able to spot Cloud and Tifa without catching their scents first. Her own disguise, however…the suit was noticeably too large for her. Her hands and feet were nearly engulfed in fabric, and despite the belt being tightened as far as it could go, the pants barely hung on her narrow hips. She snorted in displeasure. Anyone who gave her more than a passing glance would get suspicious.

'_Enough. It's too late to make any changes. Infiltrate, extract, and retreat. Simple…textbook, even,_' Raven repeated this mantra in her mind as she strode through the halls, '_Head up. Eyes forward. Back straight. You belong here._' So far, so good. Any workers she saw scurried by with their heads down, the sharp, metallic scent of their terror flooding her senses. Whoever this represented, they were someone to fear. Maybe she had worried over nothing. Raven's eyes narrowed slightly. Still…

'…_I hate this damn suit._' It was a ridiculous thought, really. The suit didn't smell like anyone she had met…but Raven couldn't help but think that she had seen something similar to it somewhere before. In fact, her lycan instincts wanted her to shred it as soon as possible.

'_What am I forgetting…?_' Raven shook her head silently as she continued down the corridor.

8888

"Barret?" Tifa glanced at the burly man trudging beside her from beneath her white hat. He was walking with his head down so that his matching hat covered his face. He tilted his head slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hn?" Tifa tightened her grip on the wooden handle in her hands.

"…I'm worried." Barret reached up and placed a mechanical hand on her shoulder. He had to switch out and hide his gun attachment to make the disguise work. It was still close at hand, of course, hidden within the cart he was pushing.

"Don't. Shorty's got a good plan." Tifa sighed.

"I know…we'll cover more ground this way. Still…what if we can't find Aerith? What if someone, or all of us, gets caught? Raven was right…this is really dangerous."

"No use worryin' now. No turnin' back," Barret said, squeezing her shoulder before dropping it down to the cart. Tifa continued unabated.

"And Raven…he's in a lot of danger. I don't think he realizes what he's disguised as…" Tifa panicked and grabbed Barret's sleeve, "What if his cover is blown? What if Tseng finds him? He could be killed!" Barret shook his arm loose.

"Calm down! #!&…so what if that Tseng bastard finds 'im?" The handle creaked under Tifa's grip. She had forgotten that Barret and Cloud hadn't heard Raven's story yet.

"…While you and Cloud were talking to Elmyra, Raven and I left to buy supplies for this raid. Do you remember how Raven said he felt responsible for Aerith getting captured?" Barret nodded slowly.

"Ya…" Tifa sighed wearily.

"I asked him about it. He told me that someone had struck him from behind and knocked him out. I think he was mugged." Barret snorted.

"Thought he had 'heightened senses'…sounds like they ain't worth much…" Tifa frowned.

"He was probably distracted by something right before it. He wouldn't elaborate. Anyway, Aerith and Marlene found him while he was injured and helped him with a Potion. Immediately after that, Tseng showed up with some guards to take Aerith. When Tseng tried to capture her after she refused to go with him, Raven attacked." Barret gave her an incredulous look, whistling lowly.

Damn…Shorty fought Tseng?" Tifa nodded.

"Fought and lost. Tseng was going to shoot him in the head when Aerith surrendered."

"That's why he offered…Shorty's all right. Damn lousy attitude, though," Barret huffed as Tifa giggled quietly.

"Yeah…he IS rather prickly, isn't he? Kind of like a Hedgehog Pie or a Cactuar…"

"He's a condescendin' jackass…but he's also a SMART jackass, so dat's okay." Tifa pushed on his arm playfully.

"That's not nice…he's very kind, in his own way…he wants to protect people. Maybe he'll even stay on to save the world…"

"Can't think of a better cause…anyway, Shorty can help 'imself if Tseng finds 'im." Tifa nodded slowly.

"Yeah…I just hope it doesn't come to that…" That said, they ducked into an office and started cleaning. They needed to keep up appearances, after all.

8888

"Hey!" Raven twitched but kept walking, pretending that she didn't heat someone calling. She couldn't afford to get caught now.

"Hey, you! Tiny! Hey, will ya stop fer a second?" Raven slowed to a stop, jaw clenched. No avoiding this…and if someone gave her another height-related nickname, she was ripping their throat out. Two sets of footsteps stopped behind her.

"Damn, yer fast…Yer the new guy, right? Turn around so we can get a look at ya." Raven turned on her heel and silently contemplated the individuals before her. The taller man was sturdily built and bald. Although she couldn't see his eyes, Raven was certain that he was watching her every move from behind those sunglasses. The other had a shorter, wiry frame, bright red hair and goggles perched on top for his head. Having been told the story of the battle on the Sector 7 pillar, she could pretty safely assume that this was Reno. He had several lacerations on his face that were held closed with butterfly steri-strips, a black eye, and a cast on his left arm. She could see white bandages peeking out of his undone collar. He slumped forward slightly, staring at her in a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

"Damn, yer tiny! What, they replacing me with a kid, yo? Are ya even old enough ta be working? How old are ya?" Raven blinked slowly as she rattled off several different questions at once. She considered interrupting him, but the taller man did it for her, placing a hand on Reno's uninjured shoulder.

"…Reno. Let him answer." Reno looked up at the taller man in annoyance before turning his attention back to Raven.

"…Well?" Raven reached into one of the suit's pockets for her wallet. Whenever the Hunters were ordered to go undercover, they would carry fake IDs. Hopefully, it will work here.

"…I'm 26. I wasn't told why I was being reassigned, so I apologize if I'm not what you expected," she held out her ID, "…My name is Raiden." Reno glanced at the ID card and shook his head in disbelief.

"26? Ya look like a kid!" Raven rocked back on her heels.

"…With all due respect…sir…same to you." Reno gaped at her as the taller man coughed into his sleeve to mask a laugh.

"Huh…wha…looks are deceiving, yo!" Raven nodded.

"Exactly. Thank you for proving my point." Reno stuttered, trying to up with a comeback, before giving her a look of grudging respect.

"All right, yer good…they must have thought you be a lot bigger, though," he plucked at her sleeve with a laugh, "Yer almost drowning in this thing. Yo, Rude! Remind me to take Raiden here in ta get his suit refitted in the morning!" Reno turned back to Raven without waiting for a confirmation, "Hey, Raiden. It's pretty late, so Tseng ain't gonna need ya until morning, yo. Why don't ya have a drink in the lounge with Rude and me ta celebrate yer new position?" Raven shifted her weight to her right side and shook her head slowly.

"…I really shouldn't…" Reno swung his good arm around her shoulders before she could finish.

"I won't take 'no' fer an answer, yo!" He started pulling her back the way she came.

"I don't…"

"Com'mon~, buddy!" Reno continued to pull her along in spite of her protests. Raven sighed in defeat.

"Fine…I guess one drink couldn't hurt…"

"That's the spirit! I like ya already, Rai!" Raven made a noncommittal sound as she shuffled alongside the red-head.

'_This isn't what I planned…but they might know where Aerith is being kept…_' Raven thought, mostly ignoring Reno's idle chatter as they passed several frightened workers and guards.

8888

Cloud adjusted his grip on the rifle he was carrying. The uniform he was wearing was tight, itchy, and smelled like it hadn't been washed in some time. Still, the trade-off was being able to search for Aerith undetected using a keycard that gave him access up to the 68th floor. Since the building supposedly had seventy floors, that gave him a good chance at finding her. Raven, being disguised as a Turk, would probably have a keycard to access all floors, but his ill-fitting disguise would get him caught for sure.

'_Unless he works for Shinra…or actually IS a Turk…_' Cloud frowned from beneath his helmet. He didn't trust the strange boy at all. It was too convenient that he happened to show up knowing what happened to Aerith and offering help when he did. He had wondered if he had been wrong about Raven when the boy had appeared with Tifa at the elevator when the guards had him and Barret surrounded, but then he said something that ignited Cloud's suspicions once more.

'_Act natural…act the part. Perform the job of the person you're disguised to avoid blowing your cover._' It was good advice, but it had gotten Cloud thinking. Did Raven help kill the guards to throw him off the trail? Was he trying to lead them into a trap?

'_I'll have to be extra cautious…there's no telling what that kid might try…_' The sound of running feet approaching him from behind made Cloud pause.

"Hey, partner! Wait for me!" Another guard screeched to a halt beside him. He couldn't have been any older than seventeen and he looked to be just a little taller than Raven.

"Hey…any luck spotting the intruders?"

'_Intruders? Oh…_' Cloud shook his head. The boy's shoulders slumped a little in response.

"Damn…" he quickly straightened back up, " We'll find them eventually! Hey, hey! I heard that one of the intruders was Barret Wallace! Can ya believe it? The leader of AVALANCHE!" Cloud nodded as the young guard continued to prattle on and on. He glanced up toward the approaching T-intersection just as a familiar looking red-head appeared. He stopped, biting the inside of his cheek.

'_Reno…_' Next to him was an even MORE familiar black haired boy. Reno had an arm around his shoulders and appeared to be chattering jovially to the smaller boy, '_Raven…_' A much taller much taller man wearing sunglasses followed behind them like a menacing shadow, '_They seem to be getting along rather well…maybe TOO well…_' The guard next to him spoke in a hushed voice.

"The Turks…wouldn't THAT be an awesome job? Secret missions…protecting President Shinra himself…that's the big leagues. Who's that one guy? He's so tiny! He looks rather suspicious…could he be one of the intruders?" Cloud blinked. Maybe Raven WASN'T working for Shinra…

'_Not as a Turk, at least…better play it safe,_' he cleared his throat quietly.

"I doubt it. You'd think the other two would know if he was…besides, didn't the other one have blond, spiky hair?" The guard already knew about Barret, so he had probably been described, too.

"Hey, you DO talk! Anyway, you make a good point. I heard that they hired on a new Turk after one got beat up by AVALANCHE…that's probably him. Man, did they screw up his sizing!"

"…"

"…And back to silence…"

8888

"Yo, Fred! Whip up three of the usual!" the old bartender looked up from the glass he was polishing with a grunt, squinting at the loudmouthed red-head.

"'Three?' Ya drinkin' fer two now, Reno?" Reno laughed as he gripped Raven's shoulder and pushed her in front of him.

"Nah, man. We've got a new recruit, yo! Rude and me want ta show him a good time." The bartender squinted down his nose at her. Raven stared right back.

"…He old enough ta drink?"

"Old enough ta be a Turk." Fred grunted, turning to the rows of bottles behind him.

"Good enough. Get yer suit tailored, boy." Reno pushed Raven into a barstool and sat to her left while Rude occupied the stool to her right.

"So, Rai…what do ya think made Tseng choose ya fer the Turks?" Reno leaned on her good arm and grinned merrily at her.

'_Tseng…? Turks? Shit...this could be bad…_' Raven coughed lightly.

"Stealth, agility…infiltration matters." Reno sighed in irritation.

"What's with the short answers? I've already got Rude for a silent drinkin' buddy! Do ya even WANT ta be here?" Rude sighed and looked down at Reno from over Raven's head.

"…He TRIED to turn you down." Reno waved his hand dismissively as Fred sat a tumbler of dark liquid in front of each of them.

"Three Businessmen's' Elixirs. Hope ya can hold yer liquor, kid." Raven looked down at the glass in front of her. She could smell the alcohol wafting off of the drink, and almost felt drunk on the fumes alone. She raised the glass and took a sip as Reno and Rude took large swigs from their tumblers. Her eyes widened as she clacked the glass back down and started coughing into her sleeve, the strong drink setting her throat ablaze. Reno laughed as Rude slapped her on the back.

"Too strong fer ya, Rai?" Raven took a few shaky breaths while glancing at the red-head from the corner of her eye.

"I'll…*cough*…I'll manage…*cough, cough*" Raven took a deep breath and sat up straight.

'If this is something they drink regularly…do they still HAVE livers…?" About two hours passed like this; Reno downing drinks like water, Rude following at a much slower pace, and Raven nursing her second drink. Reno alternated between telling stories, half of which went unfinished due to Reno breaking down into a fit a laughter part way through, and asking Raven random questions to which she gave short, semi-vague answers. If Rude had any questions or suspicions, he didn't voice them. Suddenly, a song started ringing through the air, halting the conversation. Raven glanced to her right as Rude pulled a cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open.

"This is Rude…Yes, sir…yes…Right away, sir." He clicked the phone shut and stood up, pushing his glass away. Raven turned to regard him silently as he straightened his sleeve when suddenly her chin was forced down into her shoulder, bending her neck painfully. She tried to to straighten up with a grunt, but something was holding her down. That something was a very drunk Reno. She growled low in her throat.

"Do you mi-"Reno cut her off.

"Yo, Rude! Where're ya goin'?" Reno slurred, leaning heavily on Raven's head, "We're in the middle of celebratin'!"

"Hey…get your drunk ass off my…" Raven growled.

"Orders from Tseng. Hojo was attacked. I need to head to the lab department for interception," he looked down when Raven growled a little louder and placed a hand on Reno's head, shoving him backwards, "…And stop using Raiden as a table." Reno made a face, finally taking his weight off Raven's head and sitting in his seat.

"Fine, ya stick-in-da-mud! I'll just keep celebratin' with my NEW best friend, Rai!" As emphasis, Reno threw an arm around Raven's now stiff shoulders and laid his head on her shoulder. Raven twitched, shoving her elbow into Reno's sternum.

"…" Rude shook his head silently and walked away. Reno released Raven's shoulders and settled back into his stool, pouting slightly. Raven watched him as he moodily ordered for another drink. Fred set another tumbler in front of Reno and met Raven's eyes with a shrug, sympathy covering his grizzled face. Apparently, this happened often. Reno knocked the drink back and slumped down against the table in alcohol-fueled despair. Ravens thoughts, however, were focused somewhere else.

Someone had screwed up.

She glanced down at her drunken companion. She still needed info, but she had doubts on how useful Reno would be.

"…Hojo must be pretty important for them to call one of us." Reno looked up at her in disbelief before laughing uproariously.

"Yer…yer finally talkin' in full sentences, and…and ya wanna talk about THAT freak? HA!" Reno sat up, chuckling, "Yeah…he's pretty important. Hojo's the head scientist in the Science and Research Department on the 67th and 68th floors."

"Why would anyone attack him?" Reno seemed to sober up almost immediately.

"Well…ya didn't her this from ME, but…there're a lot of people who work here that would rather be rid of him…Hojo's apparently a sick and twisted bastard."

"…'Apparently?'" Reno shrugged.

"I only met him once and thought he was a freak, but the office rumor is that he does some pretty sick things…" Raven leaned in slightly.

"…Such as?" As soon as she asked, Raven at once wished she hadn't. Reno signaled Fred for another drink with a sigh.

"Supposedly, Hojo performs experiments on animals…sentient or otherwise…" Raven's jaw clenched.

"'Sentient'…?" Reno nodded, swirling his drink around.

"Cats, mice, wolves…even humans…they're all specimens ta him, yo…" Reno paused and grinned at Raven, "But like I said, all of this is just rumor, Rai. Only President Shinra and the Board members really know what Hojo does. Still, ya have ta wonder…especially since that girl Aerith was handed over ta him." Raven felt like someone punched her in the stomach.

"Aerith…?" Reno nodded, gulping down his drink.

"Apparently, she's the last of the Ancients. She's supposed ta lead us ta the 'Promised Land.' Maybe the intruders were tryin' ta get ta her. Why else would they go ta the 67th floor? I doubt it was ta see the head lab rat!" Raven pushed her glass away and stood up. Her destination was clear. Reno caught hold of her wrist, keeping her from leaving.

"H-hey! Where ya goin', yo? Have another drink with me, buddy~!" She thought quickly.

"Rude might need help with the intruders…"

"Nah, Rude can handle it! Sit down and relax. Fred! Another drink fer my buddy, Rai! And something ta eat, yo; he's damn skinny!" Raven shook her head sharply.

"Cancel that, Fred. Think about for a second, Reno…if you're not too pickled to do so. All of the floors above Level 60 need a keycard. How do you think the intruders made it to Level 67?" It took several excruciatingly long minutes before realization dawned on Reno's face.

"Oh…" Raven gave a curt nod.

"Exactly. I'm going to give Rude some back-up. You take it easy, Reno. Good night." Raven hurried off before Reno could respond, swiping her keycard and pressing the button for the 67th floor. Hopefully, she'll find the others before Rude does.

8888

"…Keep moving." Cloud grunted as he was shoved forward from behind, the leg restraints causing him to stumble. The worst case scenario had happened. His group had been captured almost as soon as they stepped into the elevator.

'_Considering that he's still absent, I bet I know why the Turks were able to respond so quickly,_' Cloud frowned thoughtfully, '_I knew we couldn't trust that kid…hopefully Barret and Aerith were able to escape…_' he looked up as he was forced up the staircase and into the President's office, teeth clenching when he saw Barret already in front of the desk, his arms and legs similarly bound and glared at the man seated across from him, '_Dammit…_' He stopped next to Barret while Tifa and Red XIII stopped behind them.

"You got caught, too?" As Barret grunted, Cloud glanced around, doing a quick headcount. Two people were missing: Raven…and…

"Where's Aerith!" President Shinra unhurriedly lit a cigar and took a long drag from it, exhaling slowly.

"In a safe place," he rose from his desk and faced the bay windows behind him, gazing out into the darkness, "She's the last surviving Ancient..." he glanced over his shoulder at his captive audience, "Don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra, and lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just a forgotten page in history…" Red XIII looked up, tilting his head curiously.

"Cetra... That girl…is she really a survivor of the Cetra?" The president nodded, stepping away from the window, but remaining behind his desk.

"Cetra, or the Ancients, will show us the way to the 'Promised Land,'" he chuckled lowly, "I'm expecting a lot out of her."

"The Promised Land? Isn't that just a legend?"

"Even so, it's just too appealing to not to pursue," he started pacing slowly in front of the window, "It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile," he stopped and stared coldly at the group, "...If the land is fertile..." Barret's jaw clenched in anger.

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" President Shinra nodded curtly.

"Exactly. That is why our money-sucking Mako Reactor is a necessity. The abundant Mako will just come out on its own," he tapped a few buttons on his desk and a hologram of a city appeared, "That is where Neo-Midgar will be built…Shinra's new glory..." Barret cursed and began struggling against his handcuffs.

"$#^%! Quit dreamin'!" The president gave Barret a condescending smirk at his outburst.

"Oh really…don't you know? These days all it takes for your dreams to come true is enough money and a little science," he turned back to the bay window with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Well, that is all for our meeting. Take them away." Rude, the Turk that had captured Cloud's group in the elevator, came forward and shoved Cloud toward the security guards.

"Come on! Outta his way!" Cloud, Tifa, and Red XIII allowed themselves to be lead toward the stairs, but Barret wasn't finished yet.

"Hold it! I got a lot I wanna say to you!" Barret lunged forward to confront the president, but Rude quickly hooked an arm around his neck and started dragging him away, "&%#ing bastard...! YER KILLIN' THE PLANET!" Barret continued shouting as he was hauled down the stairs. President Shinra sat down at his desk, brushing imaginary dirt off of his suit jacket.

"If you need something else... talk to my secretary…"

8888

With guards herding the prisoners toward the cellblock, Rude hung back to speak with Tseng.

"Nicely done, Rude. I'm glad you were able to apprehend them so quickly…" Rude nodded silently.

"Thank you, sir…"

"Go find Reno and meet me in my office; I want to introduce you both to the new recruit." Rude smirked faintly.

"There's no need, sir. Reno and I already met Raiden." Tseng stopped short and stared at Rude.

"…What…?" Rude stopped walking and faced Tseng, puzzled.

"Yes, sir. Reno and I found him on Level 65…" Tseng narrowed his eyes.

"Rude…the new recruit is a woman named Elena."

"A woman…?" Tseng's fists clenched at his sides.

"What did this…'Raiden'…look like?"

8888

Raven marched through the hall, occasionally shifting the rifle's position on her shoulder. Through an eavesdropped conversation between two guards, she found out that she was a little too late. Rude had captured the others, and they were being kept on the 67th floor in prison cells. Raven had quickly retreated to the recreational room on the 64th floor to find another disguise. The Turk uniform could get her inside the prison area easily enough, but she wouldn't be able to retrieve their equipment without disabling the guard first. That could blow her cover. No, if she wanted to extract everyone quietly, she needed to BE the guard assigned to the area. Luckily, the locker room had a guard uniform that was closer to her size.

"Prison duty…this really stinks. The first night off in a month and someone breaks in. *sigh*" The guard was easy to find. He even provided an easy cover for her to replace him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pitched her voice a little lower.

"Hey…why don't you go ahead and clock out? I'll take over and if someone asks, I'll tell them you got sick." The guard stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hand and shaking it quickly.

"Seriously? Thank you, man. I owe you big time! The next guy will relieve you at 2 o' clock. You're the best!" He handed her a keycard and a set of keys before scurrying away, "Man, my girlfriend is gonna be so happy…!" Raven blinked. This was going to be easier than she thought. She glanced down the hall behind her. Scientists were scurrying in and out of offices. She looked up at the clock on the wall. 11:00 p.m. Three hours until the shift change and people were still wondering in and out of the hall. Hopefully, the hall will clear soon…

8888

Half an hour had passed without anyone entering the hall. Raven glanced back at the wall clock. 1:15 a.m. If she was going to break the others out, it had to be now. She slipped into the nearby evidence room and started unlocking the lockers. The weapons were easy to find, but the Materia took longer. Finally, she pulled a metal box from the final locker containing the orbs. She set it on the table with the weapons and peeked into the hall. It was still deserted. The clock read 1:45 a.m. She needed to hurry. Pulling out the keycard she had been given, Raven ran into the cellblock.

'_Six cells…three on either side…_' Raven's eyes narrowed slightly, '_Which ones…?_' She closed her eyes and sniffed deeply. There were many scents that she didn't recognize. One was even animalistic. Then…

"Found them." She walked toward one of the center cells where a familiar scent was strongest and swiped the keycard through the slot. The door opened and sure enough, Raven found Tifa sleeping in the cot while Cloud slept on the floor. Barret's scent came from the cell to her left while a flowery smell came from the right. Was that Aerith? She was about to step into the cell and start waking everyone when pain shot through her neck. Something was wrong…she strained her ears, listening carefully. The area was eerily quiet. There wasn't a sound, but a new scent was quickly saturating the area: blood…and something else that she couldn't describe. How was this possible? She couldn't have been in here for more than ten minutes! She reached for the rifle she had left sitting against the nearby wall and inched slowly toward the hallway.

'_I'm not used to wielding a rifle…but I have no choice. Something terrible has happened and I can't just leave the others…_' Raven adjusted her grip and took a deep breath before breaking cover to aim down the hallway, ready to pull the trigger.

She never got the chance.

8888

A/N: I hope you the newest chapter. I went back and forth between several ideas for the ending before settling on this. What do YOU think happened? Please review.


End file.
